Birkdale Primary School

School Evaluation Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

Context 

Birkdale Primary School is on the North Shore of Auckland. It provides education for students from Years 1 to 6. Te Puāwaitanga provides Māori immersion learning for about one quarter of the school. The school’s vision is ‘to grow bold learners who positively contribute to whānau, community, the world.’ The current principal was appointed in Term 1 2022.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings. 

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle. 

Part A: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

The majority of students are making progress and achieving at expected levels.

• Schoolwide information shows the large majority of learners, achieve at expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics and a small majority of learners in writing; the school has yet to get equitable outcomes for Māori and Pacific learners.
• In Te Puāwaitanga most students achieve at expected levels in reading and mathematics and the majority of learners at expected levels in writing.
• Students’ experience a positive and increasingly supportive learning environment that enhances their wellbeing and acknowledges their culture, language and identity.
• Attendance information shows the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education targets; leaders and staff connect with and provide support to families to improve attendance.  

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders increasingly foster a culture committed to quality teaching and improving equity for all learners.

• The principal continues to lead a well-managed change process to create a learning culture of inquiry, reflection and evaluation to improve student outcomes. 
• Leaders continue to develop highly focused way with teachers, a shared understanding of high-quality teaching and learning practices to accelerate student achievement.
• Leaders use coaching strategies effectively and provide useful feedback, so that teachers focus on evidence-based teaching to improve student outcomes.

The school is taking appropriate steps to provide a responsive curriculum and consistently high-quality teaching practices.

• Students experience a curriculum that is bicultural and clearly reflects their interests and supports their connectedness to the school. 
• Teachers engage in targeted professional development well aligned to school improvement priorities, to broaden responsive teaching and learning practices that support learner success and wellbeing. 
• Teachers confidently use individualised teaching practices and strategies to better engage learners, particularly for those learners at risk of not achieving.

Whānau relationships, wellbeing and te Tiriti o Waitangi are becoming increasingly embedded to support the school's improvement journey.  

• Teachers communicate regularly with whānau about their child’s strengths, needs and next learning steps that support home and school learning partnerships. 
• Student wellbeing is supported by teachers using restorative practices; this area is well led and supports learner relationships.    
• Teachers in Auraki (English medium) integrate te reo me ōna tikanga Māori into everyday classroom conversations and routines, to support learners' bicultural journey. 

Rumaki/Bilingual Outcomes and Conditions to Support Learner Success 

Learner success and wellbeing 

• Tamariki are confidently applying tikanga and te ao Māori practices. 
• Responsive teaching strategies support the individual needs of tamariki. 
• Tamariki have developed a strong sense of identity and belonging. 
• The provision of customised learning experiences is strengthening relational trust.

Conditions to support learner success 

• Te Puāwaitanga provides a positive, collaborative learning environment. 
• Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is used to contextualise learning. 
• Leadership and governance use innovative strategies to build the capacity and capability of kaiako. 
• Whānau support allows kaiako to focus on teaching and learning.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• build on consistent and effective assessment practices to inform planning, teaching, and responding to learner progress
• further embed processes that review and inquire into teaching strategies, that accelerate the achievement of those students at most risk of not achieving
• strengthen learning partnerships with parents and whānau to improve attendance, learner progress and achievement 
• continue developing the marau-ā-rohe and Te Puāwaitanga Graduate Profile to support tamariki outcomes and meet whānau and community aspirations.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Every six months:

• review school assessment processes and practices to inform next steps in teaching and learning 
• track progress and measure impact of teaching and learning strategies, particularly for those students at risk of not achieving
• extend learning partnerships between school and home that let whānau know how they can help with their child’s learning and improve attendance
• monitor the progress of marau-ā-rohe and Te Puāwaitanga Graduate Profile.

Annually:

• evaluate the use of school wide assessment tools, processes and practices to strengthen teaching and learning decisions
• monitor the impact of specific teaching and learning strategies designed to meet the needs of individual learners and identify next steps 
• report on the progress of learning-centred partnerships with parents and whānau to increase attendance and engagement
• evaluate the impact of marau-ā-rohe and Te Puāwaitanga Graduate Profile against whānau aspirations and improving learner outcomes.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

• evidence-based assessment tools used confidently throughout the school.  
• learning-centred partnerships that improve student attendance, engagement, and progress and achievement
• reflective teachers select and use specific teaching strategies that meet the needs of individual learners
• improved learner outcomes for Te Puāwaitanga tamariki based on whānau aspirations.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

5 September 2024

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home